Best tasting generic-brand foods

Just because you save money buying store-brand foods doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor. In Good Housekeeping Research Institute taste tests, some generic products performed as well — if not better — than their name-brand counterparts.

Here are eight generic-brand foods that deserve a home in your kitchen.

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The mild shredded cheese by 365 at Whole Foods won the tasters’ and editors’ pick, beating out nine name brand shredded cheeses. The cheese was praised for its “creamy” texture and “bold” flavor. With a price of $4.50 for 12 ounces, you can’t go wrong.

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(Courtesy of Trader Joe's)

Multigrain Crackers – Trader Joe’s

For a buttery, budget-friendly cracker, try Trader Joe’s multigrain crackers. These snacks, which cost just $1.69 for a 10-ounce box, have a crispy, flaky texture with a hint of onion.

Archer Farms balsamic vinegar from Target was noted for having "a good mix of tangy and sweet" flavor. With "hints of cherry" and "smoke", it's the perfect complement for salads, marinades, and even desserts.

The pasta, with its mildly sweet and nutty flavor, was firm, yet chewy, when cooked. At $1.79 for 16 ounces, we bet you’ll be coming back for more.

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(Courtesy of Walmart Great Value)

Instant Oatmeal – Walmart Great Value

It may be the most important meal of the day, but that doesn’t mean you have to splurge on breakfast. Walmart’s Great Value brand instant oatmeal offers the same hearty breakfast at a fraction of the brand-name cost.

While Great Value’s oatmeal is missing the added sweetness, it lets you flavor your food as you like. You can buy 12 days’ worth of instant oatmeal for only $1.90!

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(Courtesy of Trader Joe's)

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns – Trader Joe’s

Grilling aficionados should try Trader Joe’s whole wheat hamburger buns. With their light texture and generous amount of sesame seeds, these buns could quickly become your healthier version of the classic. And the price is right, too: $1.90 for an 8-pack.

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(Philip Friedman/Studio D)

Frozen French Fries – Market Pantry

With an ultra-crispy outside and a "creamy" yet fluffy inside, it's hard to believe Market Pantry Thin-Cut Fries from Target were sold in the freezer section.

Hi, Carolyn: Should I be worried that my wife and I have had no sex for literally years? I am guessing it is at least three years. Not even heavy make-out sessions. It just seems that my wife has no interest. I am afraid to broach the subject for fear of a negative answer. We don’t sleep in the same bed anymore either. I am a big snorer and chose to sleep in the guest room. It’s fine because she is a light sleeper and I am happier that she is getting her sleep. I do use a CPAP but it does come off sometimes. The no-sex thing just happened over time. We have both gained some weight but we are not obese — we could both lose 20 or 30 pounds. Is this normal or should we seek help? J.: Should I be

Samantha Kelly-Piasecki was riding with her best friends Brooke Miranda Hughes and Chaniya Morrison-Toomey on Monday night when she asked to be dropped off at home. “Brooke texted me asking if I wanted to come back out with her, but I said I had work in the morning,” Kelly-Piasceki, 17, tells PEOPLE. It was the last time the Scranton, Pennsylvania, teen would hear from her friends, who were on their way to the Poconos, according to Kelly-Piasceki.

The recent discovery of a missing Alaska teen’s dead body, weeks after he vanished — and the subsequent arrest of one of his friends — has shaken their small community. In mourning 16-year-old David Grunwald, they are also remembering his life: One his teachers tells PEOPLE the boy’s desk chair is being kept empty in tribute to the funny and eager student, who dreamed of being a pilot. “We all miss him,” Zack Lanphier, David’s former high school teacher at Mat-Su Career & Tech, tells PEOPLE.

Dear Carolyn DEAR CAROLYN: Should I be worried that my wife and I have had no sex for literally years? I am guessing it is at least three years. Not even heavy make-out sessions. It just seems that my wife has no interest. I am afraid to broach the subject for fear of a negative answer. We don’t sleep in the same bed anymore either. I am a big snorer and chose to sleep in the guest room. It’s fine because she is a light sleeper and I am happier that she is getting her sleep. I do use a CPAP but it does come off sometimes. The no-sex thing just happened over time. We have both gained some weight but we are not obese — we could both lose 20 or 30 pounds. Is this normal or should we seek help? —

Hatchimals, the hottest toy this holiday
season, are furry creatures that hatch from
an egg when you play with them. Retailers are sold out across the country, but some resellers have inflated prices and are making a huge profit.

Pauly D looks totally different compared to his Jersey Shore days! In a new Instagram video, the reality star looks completely unrecognizable, and fans are wondering if Pauly went under the knife! In the video, the Jersey Shore star invites fans to a New Year's Eve celebration he's scheduled to DJ. If the reality star did indeed have work done, he wouldn't be the first Jersey Shore star to change their appearance. Snooki previously admitted to receiving treatments like Botox, while JWOWW underwent a breast augmentation. Click through the slideshow to see the Jersey Shore cast then and now!

When Robert Wagner and longtime collaborator Scott Eyman decided to team up once again to explore the lives of Hollywood’s greatest and most titillating actresses, everyone was on board — including the two very special women in their lives. "Our wives loved the idea! That was one of the things that kicked us into writing," explains Wagner of what prompted him to write his latest book, "I Loved Her in the Movies." However, the 86-year-old actor wasn’t interested in rehashing old tales of fellow icons, like Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, or even Natalie Wood, the star he would marry twice — in 1957 and again in 1972 — until her tragic passing at age 43 in 1981.

A teenage driver was streaming to Facebook Live while she drove along a Pennsylvania highway just before a tractor-trailer rear ended her vehicle after midnight Tuesday, killing her and a passenger in a fiery wreck. Brooke Miranda Hughes, 18, was behind the wheel on Interstate 380 near Tobyhanna as she live-streamed her car ride with 19-year-old friend, Chaniya Morrison-Toomey, who can be heard saying “Are you going live?” in the now-deleted footage, according to the Associated Press. Before Hughes could answer, bright lights flash inside the car and sounds of screeching tires can be heard, followed by seven-minutes of blackness, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported.

Like most mothers who have just given birth, Savannah Guthrie posed for a few photos. In the images, Guthrie, who welcomed son Charles Max Feldman on Thursday morning, is smiling and holding her newborn, her second child with husband Michael Feldman. Welcome to the world, Charles Max Feldman! Baby Charley was born at 8:59 am on Thursday, weighing 9 lbs, 8 oz.

The California Coastal Commission has imposed a $4.2 million fine on owners of an expensive oceanfront rental on the Malibu coast for failing to remove a gate, fence, stairway and deck that block public ...

Colin Kaepernick (No. 7) and 49ers teammates take a knee during the national anthem. The steady decline in NFL television ratings has been the biggest story of the football season, and arguably the biggest sports-business story of 2016. What is clear is that interest in watching primetime NFL games has waned, but what remains unclear are the exact causes, and which causes have had the largest impact.

It’s pretty tough to get tired of the hardworking, decadent, crispy-creamy latke, but by the fourth night of Hanukkah, we understand if you are. But don’t toss your fry oil just yet: Make one of these 8 latke riffs—and don’t forget the side of sour cream.
Check out the original article on Food52.